• Significant vaccine donations. Individual producers pledged 166 million doses of A(H1N1) vaccines to help meet the WHO’s 200 million dose target for developing country supply [18]. It is clear that the emergence and subsequent global spread of 2009 A(H1N1) influenza

prompted the largest pandemic response ever mounted. Many aspects of this undertaking http://www.selleckchem.com/products/abt-199.html were highly positive. However, not surprisingly, the response also revealed a number of areas where improvements could be made. Assessments by health authorities and other stakeholders will play an important role in determining the lessons that can be learned from the 2009 pandemic. The review undertaken by the IFPMA IVS and EVM groups can complement this process, providing a perspective from the vaccine industry. • Record levels of preparedness. Over many years, public health partners, including vaccine manufacturers, undertook extensive preparations to combat future influenza

pandemics. This process accelerated significantly following the rapid spread of A(H5N1) avian viruses. Without this level of preparedness, the 2009 response would not have been possible. This situation clearly demonstrates the need for pandemic preparations to continue as a high priority. For many years, the vaccine industry has been committed to pandemic preparations, and has contributed major resources to the field as requested by health authorities. Record levels of preparedness and collaboration between public health partners enabled manufacturers to answer the call www.selleckchem.com/products/AZD0530.html for safe and effective A(H1N1) vaccines, and to go on to supply significant quantities starting just three months after the pandemic declaration. However, despite the magnitude and speed of the 2009 pandemic response, there remain areas for improvement. Amongst the issues likely to be explored by ongoing reviews, is the potential scale of future

vaccine provision. Although the severity of the recent only pandemic was relatively mild, and vaccine demand was low, this cannot be relied on in future. WHO estimated that production capacity stood at 4.9 billion doses per annum, but while this represents a step change in global capabilities it may be insufficient for global populations in future. Many solutions have been suggested to fill the gap, such as local capacity building and technology transfer, and initiatives are progressing in both of these areas. However, pandemic vaccine production capacity can only be increased and sustained through the wider use of seasonal vaccines. During recent years, seasonal vaccine usage has failed to match the growth in production capacity, and uptake has remained low even amongst a number of high risk groups.